Yusuke Minagawa and Tsukasa Shiotani scored either side of halftime as J. League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima beat New Zealand part-timers Auckland City 2-0 on Thursday to kick off the Club World Cup.
Sanfrecce, who captured their third J. League title in four years last weekend, took an early lead at Nissan Stadium when little-used striker Minagawa pounced on a rebound in the ninth minute.
Defender Shiotani then doubled Sanfrecce's lead midway through the second half to set up a quarterfinal meeting with African champions TP Mazembe of DR Congo in Osaka on Sunday, with the winner taking on Argentine giants River Plate three days later in the same stadium.